New York Congresswoman Nita Lowey (Democrat) has lifted her objections to an additional $150 million in aid to the Palestinian Authority (PA). Lowey, who is on the House subcommittee dealing with foreign operations, had vowed to stop the aid after PA Chairman Mahmoud Abbas told a Jordanian newspaper that mass terrorism will return if negotiations with Israel fail.
"I remain skeptical about the political will of a Palestinian leadership that all too often lapses into inflammatory rhetoric that belies their stated commitment to peace," Lowey wrote in a letter to the U.S. Agency for International Development (AID). She said that following a new statement of understanding between the PA and the U.S., she would allow passage of two-thirds of the proposed financial assistance.